Mother pleads guilty after cops say she and stepfather made children sleep in cold RV without food while they had space heater by their bed and enough to eat

A woman has admitted fault after eight children in Wisconsin were apparently left without food until one of the kids went to a neighbor’s house asking for some sustenance.

Megan Cis, 33, has pleaded guilty to intimidating a victim to dissuade reporting, battery, and possession of THC, Lincoln County court records reviewed by Law&Crime show. As a result of her plea agreement, eight counts of child neglect and a single count of possession of drug paraphernalia were dismissed.

She has been sentenced to two years of probation, must write an individual apology letter to each victim, and cannot have any contact with six of the victims, court records show.

The other defendant in the case, 43-year-old Wilber Copeland, still faces charges of being party to a crime of intimidating a victim by threatening force, being party to a crime of child abuse involving intentionally causing harm, and eight counts of child neglect, as well as drug charges.

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

As Law&Crime previously reported, on Dec. 12, 2025, a woman told the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office that one of her neighbors’ eight children came to her home looking for food. This woman and the defendants lived in Whitewater, Wisconsin, a city about 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Wausau Daily Herald, the child told the neighbor that their parents, later identified as Cis and Copeland, were not at the RV where they lived and that there was no food in it.

Deputies went to the RV and reportedly found a mess inside, inadequate heating where the children slept, rotten food, dog feces, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

The children told deputies that their parents ordered them to clean the RV while they were gone, according to the court document. The children also allegedly said that Cis was physically abusive toward them, in one instance apparently lifting one child by her sweatshirt, choking her, and punching her in the ribs.

That child reportedly ended up with a black eye, and the children said Cis kicked them in the ankles for not taking one of the family’s six dogs out.

Deputies alleged more.

The oldest child claimed they had to sleep in the cold of the RV and were not allowed to bundle up with clothes, boots, or jackets “because her parents don’t want the kids wasting clothes,” per additional reporting by area CBS affiliate WSAW. The parents on the other hand, apparently slept with a space heater and had enough food.

The oldest child also reportedly said that Copeland — her stepfather — once said “you’re fine, suck it up” after she had been hurt and was not allowed to have any pain relief medication.

According to authorities, the children said the defendants told them to lie to police about what happened.

Copeland, who has not been convicted, has a status conference scheduled for Monday.

The post Mother pleads guilty after cops say she and stepfather made children sleep in cold RV without food while they had space heater by their bed and enough to eat first appeared on Law & Crime.